Immortal Tales #Wattys2020

Chapter Forty One - Part Two

Luz opened her eyes and saw Jane stranded only a few meters away from her. She had been smart to detach at the last second, or they would have ended up getting hurt even more. Luz pulled up with a groan of pain a tightened the red bandages around her waist.

-Jane are you alright? -

The girl responded by spitting blood on the ground.

-Never been better - she smiled with her teeth red. -Should see a dentist about this. But first thing first ... the end of the world. Where are Isaac and Mathias? -

Luz narrowed her eyes to look in the distance. A stray black cat seemed to be the only living thing in the brown hills for miles.

-We must have dropped quite far from here. - she hoped. -Distances are hard to gauge when falling from the sky. -

A cloud of dirt raised from the distant horizon. Every particle in Luz's body screamed at her to run away from the danger, but she could not leave before knowing that those weren't her friends.

As the cloud got closer, she could distinguish the profile of a man riding on horseback, raising the sand as the horseshoes hit the ground.

Had this been Texas fifty years before, Luz would have scrolled her shoulders and continued in her path. But a lonely cowboy in the middle of Route 66 in 2018? That was not a sight for everyday.

Luz's hand went on the iron pulveriser tied to her waist. Thankfully it hadn't flown away during their fall. It was designed to kill immortals and the mist people, but she guessed it would do a mortal no good. Breathing heavy metals was a slow and painful way to die.

A gasp of surprise escaped her lips when she recognised the cowboy's curly black hair and bronze complection. For some reason, he was also wearing a cowboy hat.

-I have way too many question to even ... where the Nature is Isaac? - asked Jane putting both her hands over her forehead.

They had to wait until Mat the cowboy reached them for an answer. Even before he started talking, Luz relaxed by seeing the grin on his face. The boy might have joked around all the time, but he wouldn't have laughed if Isaac hadn't been safe.

Mat jumped gracefully off the horse and waved at them as if they had been meeting for a slice of Chicago pizza instead of jumping off a plane. Quite naturally, Luz punched him.

-Ahia! What was that for? - he complained massaging the affected area.

-Get that stupid sombrero off your head and tell us where Isaac is. And how you got the horse. And also how you got the sombrero since you are it. - she told him, threatening him with another punch.

Before he could reply, the horse neighed and a bright light enveloped his entire body. Luz covered her eyes and when she removed her had, Isaac was standing in the horse place.

-Sup? - he asked with a broad smile painted on his face.

Jane punched him for her.

-Sup my ass horse-face - the immortal told him. -Explain. -

Mathias and Isaac took turns in telling the them the story, or, as Mat liked to refer to it, "the tale of the chicken and the horse". They were only a few miles off Chicago, so they decided to walk in that direction. Luz doubted they could convince anyone they were simple hitchhikers given the state of their clothes. On the plus side, since Isaac's transformation his T-shirt had been reduced to stripes of fabric leaving most of his chest exposed, which could only be an advantage in searching for a lift. If there had been any cars to begin with.

Even by the desolated standard they were used to, it seemed highly unusual that not a single car had driven by them in the past half-hour.

-In summary, I saved both of our asses - started Mat putting a hand over her shoulders. She tried to master her annoyance and moved it away. Yup, it was annoyance she felt. Nothing else.

-He almost got us killed. - Isaac corrected him. -He was screaming like a baby for the greatest part of the fall. -

-Like a warrior raging in battle - offered Mat.

-A loosing battle against your bladder maybe - Isaac raised his eyebrow. -Anyway, my magic was fading quickly and I couldn't hold both of our weights because... well Mat is heavy -

Mathias let out a fake sob. -Honestly dude? No need for body shaming here. I am still a little out of shape after the holidays. -

Luz smiled and gestured Isaac to continue.

-ANYWAYS - he continued. - Mat accidentally punched me in the gut and fell to his death without my magic to slow him down. I tried to reach him, but there was no going around the currents. So ... I let go of the magic and ... not sure what happened next. There was a bright light, like the magic fire burning in my heart and ... -

-AND HE TURNED INTO A GIANT CHICKEN! - Mathias interrupted him waving his hands furiously.

-AN EAGLE! - fought Isaac. -Whatever man, I turned into a big bird and, to Mathias' delight, I dragged us both to the ground. Once that was finished, I realised it was pretty simple to turn into anything I wanted. I assume it's the same stuff you could do with hair changing Luz, just bigger. -

Mathias touched her shoulder to capture her attention. As if he was ever off her attention.

-You can change your hair colour on command?! - he asked. He pulled her arm, forcing her body into a 180 piroette.

-Well yeah but ... -

-Have you ever tried like ... violet or blue or green or ... wait for it - he stared blankly into her eyes. -Transparent. -

She resisted the urge to punch him again and kept walking in the opposite direction.

It was late afternoon by the time they reached Chicago. The elections were just about to start, but no screaming crowds of supporters were awaiting for them on the Main Street. No rally with flyers stopped them at the first crossing.

Or the second.

All the cars were immobile, the mortals who usually drove them absent. The traffic lights were the only moving thing in the ghost town. Luz slowed in front of a few shops and saw a few people collapsed on the ground, snoring peacefully.

-They did it again - she whispered. Luz had the strange feeling of someone observing her. Or maybe it was just paranoia from the fact that their every move echoed through the whole Chicago. -They put everyone to sleep... the entire Chicago is on stand by -

Yet this time, it felt different. This wave of power wasn't simply something an immortal could produce. Even Luz was feeling it's effects on her immortal skin. Her limbs were heavier, her thoughts drowsy. If she had sat down for just a second, she would have surely fallen asleep.

Luz was just about to ask which direction they should take next when a burst of magic energy tore her heart in two. It was pulsing urgently against her chest, like a drumroll in her eardrums turning her bones to jelly.

The ritm was constant, like a beating heart.

-I say we follow the wolf into his lair - offered Jane to no one's excitement.

And so they did.